This is the blog of the online CRBR, a forum for people who work on Belgian refugees during WW1 (UK, FR, NL...) and for people who want to share their personal history.

Monday, 14 April 2014

Belgian soldiers in Britain

With more
than a quarter of a million of Belgians registered in Britain, many of whom
were soldiers who never enlisted but worked in the British war industry, the
line between a soldier and a refugee able man was a fine one.

At
Leicester Welford Road cemetery nine Belgians are buried, all of whom were
soldiers who had been treated for their wounds, but succumbed nonetheless.

The period
in which most of them passed away concerned the October and November weeks of
1914 (30-31 October and 1-5-9-12-17 November), whereas after that the dates
concerned 20 September 1915 and 1 August 1918.

With five soldiers
from Walloonia and three from Flanders, the balance seems a bit towards the
French-speaking part of Belgium. However, much more striking is the anonymous
soldier. The man himself must have felt incredibly lonely in the safehaven that
accommodated him. Most likely not able to speak English, even not at all, he
was not recognised by any other member of the Belgian army.

Another
awkward story emerges from the Belgian soldiers buried in Leicester. Martijn Cauwenbergh,
from Mechelen, has listed as his last post of military service the Boulangerie
militaire Bourbourg...